I know . . . it's been far too long . . . and I've missed you to. 

With the expansion of the Children's Corner brand, I decided it was time I came back to this website I so love. It has been tough the last couple of years, so much has changed in my life. I have a new job, my furry friend got sick and I have been knee deep in writing my book.

That's right . . . Glasses and All is just about complete. I finished my last round of revision and I have one more (small) one left to go. I cannot wait til it's done. I am so proud of it.

I am also researching by next book which will be about witches. There is so much to learn. How do I write spells and create potions? What do the colors and moon cycles mean?

So, yeah, my days have been full, but I am here now and I will try my hardest not to disappear again.

Here are a few things I've been thinking about:

• Throw Back Thursdays (TBT), but instead of a throw back to me, I thought maybe a throw back in literature. I will review one retelling story each Thursday. Perhaps a retelling of Sleeping Beauty or Romeo and Juliet. The options are abundant as writers love to retell a classic story anew.
  
• Writing Playlists. How a good playlist can help you get in the writing mood.
• Revision Phases. What my phases consist of and how you can come up with a rhythm of your own.
• The Book Bible. What is it and why it's a writer's handbook when it comes to their manuscript.
• Meetup and Critique groups

What do you think? Is there anything else I can add to the list. I will do my best to get to all of these this year.

I will do my best . . . I promise.

That's the title of this blog post by Rachelle Gardner and as I read the post, my first response to the question was: YES!

Of course, the comments in the post reflect my gut reaction. Most every writer who commented said that writing for them is a way of life and what isn't worth it is the risk of not writing. I have to admit, sometimes I have my doubts. When the rejection letters keep pouring in, I think, maybe I should find something else to do. Maybe I should focus on my day job and make a career out of it because that I seem to be good at. But, instinctively, I reach for the pen.

It is my home, the place I go to when all else has failed. When I'm down and feeling lonely, the pen is always there to comfort me. The characters I create never let me down, they don't end the relationship because they don't feel anything for me anymore, they don't walk out of my life unaware as to the regret they may feel later. They are there, always and forever.

Not being published will never stop me and even if I never get published, I will never stop writing. Just today, I finished writing the draft of my second book and it is an accomplished feeling I will never let go. I sometimes forget this feeling is there. When I struggled through some of the scenes, I forgot about they joy that's waiting for me when I pushed through. Now here I am, ready to take the manuscript to the next step. Here I am, a pasted smile on my face because I did something I love to do. I wrote a story that means something to me even if it doesn't mean anything to anyone else and it is something I will never give up.

Is the writing life worth it? I think the more appropriate question is: Is breathing oxygen worth it? Because that is what writing is, it is oxygen giving me life.

I know, I know, where the h-e-double hockey sticks have I been.  I haven't told you what the book club thought of Beastly.  I haven't told you what our next book was.  And I haven't told you what I thought of that book.  All this with our next meeting tonight.  I'm such a bad blogger, but I was on vacation.  It's no excuse, I know, but when you're in paradise, there is no internet connection or at least you don't want one.  So here's the nut shell for you:

Book Club Review of Beastly:
We liked it.  That was the overall consensus.  Some of us felt the ending was rushed and with the anticipation of it wanted to see more.  We all loved the chat room and felt it added to the story.  We didn't know how we felt about the 16-year old boy living alone in a house and forcing a 16-year old girl to stay with him especially in this day and age, but we understood that it fit with the storyline.

Next Book:
Suzanne Collin's MockingJay.  That's right, the book club is reading the third and final installment of the Hunger Games trilogy.  We already know one person loved it, will the rest of.  Let's wait and see.

My thoughts on the book:
Let's see: I bought it as my travel book to Hawaii, a 15 hour travel day.  I even bumped into a US Airways employee who was also reading the book.  By the time I got to my hotel, I had two chapters left and the eulogy.  I finished it within the hour.  I think it's safe to say I liked.  Well, I'll tell you . . . I loved it.  The ending was exactly what I was hoping for.  But, I won't go into detail here.  You want to find out more, come back in October for my monthly book review.  This book deserves the extra space.

OK. That's what I got.  I'll let you know what the club thinks of Mockingjay.  I will also try to not let it be so long next time.